The arena fell silent as the screen began to reveal the names of the next combatants: 'Jasper Ōtsutsuki vs. Temari'.
Surprises filled the crowd. Few knew of Jasper's background as an Ōtsutsuki.
Arthur, however, couldn't help but notice the subtle shift in the atmosphere.
A few disgruntled snorts could be heard. Sasuke's annoyance and averted gaze made it clear that he was not a fan, likely due to Jasper's brash personality.
What also interested Arthur was how quiet Team Guy was.
"Try not to hurt her, okay?" Alice said, eyeing Jasper.
"Babe, come on, why would I even think about it?"
She then narrowed her gaze. "I'm serious…"
"Fine, fine. I'll go light."
As eyes focused on the platform, Jasper sauntered forward with a cocky grin. Temari remained composed once she met him in the center.
"That giant fan's not gonna help you," he taunted.
She furrowed her brow, unaware that anyone here knew of her fighting style. Not believing him, she smirked. "We'll just see about that."
"See what, you whore?" Many spectators gasped. Such blatant disrespect toward an opponent, especially a skilled kunoichi like Temari, was unheard of. "I'll send you right back to the Sand when I'm through with you."
"Jasper!" Margaret yelled from the balcony.
Unfazed by her outburst, he turned toward her and spat, "Shut up and watch how the best ninja here does it."
Margaret's face turned red with frustration. Before she could scream, Alice calmed her down.
There was a fine line between playful banter and cruelty, yet Jasper seemed oblivious to where it lay. Even Alex didn't take his comment lightly. Neither did the other Jōnin.
"Why would he say that?!" Jada asked Arthur.
"Guess he's just really into the fight…"
With a swift movement, Temari unfurled her fan while creating a sudden gust of wind that ruffled Jasper's hair.
"Keep that tough guy act as long as you can," she growled.
Hayate then raised his hand to signal the match. "Begin!"
Jasper wasted no time giving a feral grin as he squatted down and dug his elbows into his knees. A jolt of energy then surged through his body, causing his muscles to bulge.
The crowd gasped.
'So that's it,' Arthur thought.
The air around Jasper began to heat up slightly as a green aura swirled around him. His skin then quickly turned red from the boiling blood circulating through his veins before his all-white eyes snapped open.
"Fourth gate: gate of pain, open!"
Temari couldn't even react once he vanished from his starting position, reappearing behind her in a blink. Then, ka-bang! a sickening crack echoed through the arena after he landed a vicious blow to her back.
She flew forward as he quickly circled her like a predator. Then, a flurry of merciless taijutsu attacks followed with each one landing their mark.
Bang-bang-bang-bang-bang!
The crowd was stunned into silence, with many wondering how a Genin could move at such high speeds. All the others could feel the disgust radiating from Might Guy specifically.
"I'm curious," Arthur said to Jada. "When did he learn it?"
"I... I have no idea. He never mentioned it to anyone before."
For Jasper's final blow, he delivered a brutal knee strike to Temari's abdomen.
Bang!
Her expression was filled with shock as she coughed up a spray of stomach fluids before falling to the floor, clutching her stomach.
Everyone watched her finally lose consciousness. The fourth gate was then deactivated, leaving Jasper drained but victorious.
"Should've watched your mouth, you ugly whore."
Hayate finally raised his hand. "The winner of the match… is Jasper Ōtsutsuki."
The cheers that typically accompanied a victory were replaced by stunned silence. Because, unlike the previous fights thus far, there was no show of sportsmanlike respect whatsoever.
No, this was a one-sided beatdown, one that left a sour feeling for Team Baki.
Jasper didn't care.
He only looked at Might Guy and gave him an unruly smirk. The once enthusiastic Jōnin wore a disappointed expression, allowing Arthur to connect the dots.
Arthur remembered Alice stating that Jasper would be off training in secret. But she never said he was training by himself. If Arthur was correct, he must have tracked Might Guy down and tricked the Jōnin into revealing his knowledge of the Eight Gates.
Rock Lee required permission from Might Guy to use that technique. Now Jasper was treating it like it was his own to do as he pleased.
Meanwhile, Might Guy was left feeling disheartened from having witnessed that barbaric display with a technique his own father had sacrificed himself for.
Jasper eventually sauntered back toward the second floor, where Alice was waiting with an upset expression.
"What?" he said. "She was talking crap, babe."
His excuse did little to appease her as the two began to argue.
Things finally settled once Hayate prepared for the next round.
Six matches had taken place. That left four more matches and eight ninjas who had yet to fight: Chōji, Shino, Jada, Gaara, Kiba, Neji, Naruto, and Arthur.
Of those eight, only Jada would be a problem.
Arthur had already proved himself capable of outmatching her in a fight. Yet that was prior to her awakening her Sharingan. Who knew what techniques she'd learned since then?
Regarding Gaara, he was far from being an average ninja thanks to his sand manipulation techniques.
Anyone facing Gaara would have quite the problem since his preferred tactic was to stay out of close-quarters combat while using sand to attack from afar. Even when his opponent did come in close range, he had an automatic sand shield for defense.
If breached, he could activate a heavy sand armour to further protect him from being injured.
What was most disturbing about him was his Tailed Beast, Shukaku.
If things went south quickly for Gaara, he might release the One-Tailed early. And if that were to happen, it would be the biggest fault caused by those trying to change the narrative.
Eventually, the giant screen above the platform showed the next names: 'Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka'.
A raucous cheer erupted from the stands, with many encouraging Naruto. Kiba received a far more subdued level of support, primarily from his teammates.
Even so, Kiba felt cocky because he believed Naruto to still be the dead-last student with a penchant for pranks.
When the two fighters met in the center, Kiba mocked him, saying that it would be a walk in the park.
"Keep dreaming," Naruto confidently said.
Arthur furrowed his brow.
This wasn't even close to the Naruto he remembered from his initial observations—the Naruto who randomly hurled out brash pronouncements before his fights.
No, this Naruto seemed too well prepared.
"Begin!"
Kiba, eager to assert his dominance, lunged forward with Akamaru by his side. But Naruto didn't hesitate to put up a quick hand sign.
"Multi-shadow clone jutsu!"
Four identical Narutos materialized beside the original, causing Kiba to quickly skid to a halt.
"Show em who's boss, cuz!" cheered William.
Arthur watched as the Narutos engaged Kiba and Akamaru in a bombardment of kicks and punches. The real Naruto, meanwhile, flanked Kiba from behind before delivering a blow that sent the boy flying.
By the time Kiba recovered on the floor, he was caught off guard again by more incoming Narutos.
Now his initial confidence had disappeared.
Trying to launch himself to gain some breathing room, he was immediately surrounded by four more clones that had been summoned.
Kiba charged with his 'Fang Over Fang' technique by spiraling through many of the Narutos. Two turned into nothing but smoke, but when he reached the third, that Naruto waited until the last second before unleashing a spinning low kick.
"Leaf whirlwind!"
Some of the crowd gasped as it connected squarely with Kiba's shin, sending him stumbling backward.
"When did he learn that?!" Lee asked in surprise.
"Doesn't sound like you taught it to him," Neji commented. "What say you, Guy-sen—"
"Now that's what I'm talking about, Naruto!" Might Guy cheered.
Kakashi closed his eyes in embarrassment, unaware that Guy even knew who Naruto was. And to be frank, even he wasn't sure when Naruto learned that technique.
Akamaru yipped in surprise as the other Narutos swarmed the dog. In just moments, they held him by his paws.
Now Arthur was certain: Naruto was strategizing by knowing that holding Akamaru would throw Kiba off track.
Seizing the opportunity, another Naruto launched himself at the disoriented Kiba.
"Leaf hurricane!"
Kiba could only raise his arms in a futile attempt to block as he was hit twice. The other Narutos joined in, and each of their kicks landed that sent Kiba further off balance.
With a final, powerful upward thrust, the real Naruto appeared and launched Kiba skyward.
Bang!
Kiba's body slowly turned end over end before slamming back down to the floor.
All the clones then dispersed as Naruto said in a triumphant stance, "Don't ever underestimate Naruto Uzumaki!"
The crowd erupted in cheers. Even Kiba's teammates joined in on the hoorahs.
"Didn't that look a little familiar to you?" Jada asked Arthur.
"What do you mean...?"
"Oh yeah!" she yelled. "I forgot you never played the video games. Do you remember when Alex said that ultimate jutsus are in here too?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, it's not just for us to use either. Everyone can use them. That last attack from Naruto was the 'Green Beast'."
Apparently, the "Green Beast" was an alter ego of a Naruto who was highly skilled at taijutsu.
Arthur's initial annoyance gave way to a cold dread.
It was bad enough that some of the main cast were buffed, but Naruto's potential had further increased—a potential that was likely being nurtured by William's influence.
If that kept up, Naruto would be even stronger than he was written to have been in his prime.
Hayate soon approached, raised his hand, and said, "The winner is Naruto Uzumaki."
Another cacophony of cheers and whistles filled the room.
Naruto had proven himself to be a worthy ninja who represented the Leaf Village indubitably. So, chest puffed with pride, he pumped his fist in the air.
From the stands, Sakura gave him a proud smile. Sasuke couldn't help but crack a small grin. Perhaps the ninja most impressed by this display of fighting was Kakashi, who saw none other than his sensei, Minato, in his pupil.